Michelisz mighty as Slovakia delivers action-packed WTCR weekend

Norbert Michelisz topped off an action-packed WTCR Race of Slovakia weekend with his first win in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO following a thrilling Race 3 at a sun-baked Slovakia Ring this afternoon (15 July).

Team OSCARO by Campos Racing’s Pepe Oriola and Gabriele Tarquini also claimed victories, taking a win apiece on Saturday. Oriola and Michelisz are winners number 10 and 11 of the season respectively. Oriola’s success for Cupra in Race 1 means six customer racing brands have won races in 2018.

Tarquini heads into the summer break at the top of the standings, albeit a slender three points ahead of Yvan Muller. Michelisz is firmly in contention in third, closely followed by Yann Ehrlacher and Jean-Karl Vernay. Vernay beat Tarquini to second place in Race 1 behind Oriola. Tarquini was also the winner of the TAG Heuer Best Lap Trophy and TAG Heuer Most Valuable Driver for scoring more points than his rivals across the WTCR Race of Slovakia weekend.

photo François Flamand / WTCR

Michelisz mighty as Slovakia delivers action-packed WTCR weekend

In a weekend of firsts, Norbert Nagy scored his and Zengő Motorsport’s maiden WTCR OSCARO podium with second in Race 2, sandwiched by his boyhood heroes Tarquini and Muller.

Fabrizio Giovanardi claimed Team Mulsanne’s first points with fifth in Race 1. New team-mate Kevin Ceccon was sixth in Race 3 on his championship debut. Denis Dupont took his first points with eighth in Race 2. Meanwhile, Zsolt Szabó scored for the first time, finishing P10 in Race 3.

Teenager Benjamin Lessennes was the best Honda driver over the weekend. He was fifth in Race 2 for Boutsen Ginion Racing, one place ahead of John Filippi. Czech wildcard entry Petr Fulín, the FIA European Touring Car Cup winner from 2017, charged from P16 to fifth in Race 3. But it was a weekend of frustration for Slovak Mato Homola, who was out of the points in all three races.

Frédéric Vervisch secured the final podium of the weekend. He fended off World Touring Car champion Thed Björk for third in Race 3 by 0.002s in a thrilling photo-finish. The results of Races 2 and 3 remain provisional pending an ongoing appeal process.